Cut-out for vapor electric apparatus.



No. 850,279. PATENTED APR. 16, 1907. T. VAN ALLER.

GUT-OUT FOR VAPOR ELECTRIC APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED 00T.12, 1904.

Z SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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- Tygho /anfill eri y M PATENTED APR. 16, 1907.

T. VAN ALLER. GUT-OUT FOR VAPOR ELECTRIC APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED 00T.l2, 1904.

A 2 SHEETSSHBET 2.

Witnesses: inventor:

Tycho Vanfll I61;

. of the functions of my invention to out such UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

TYoHo VAN ALLER', OF SCHENEOTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GENE AL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

CUT-OUT FO R VAPOR ELECTRIC APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 16, 1907.

Application filed October 12 1994. Serial No. 228,146-

tain new and useful Improvements in Cut Outs for Vapor Electric Apparatusmf which the following is a specification.

Mypresent invention relates to cut-out or safety devices, and while capable of numerous other applications is of articular value in connection with Vapor electric lamps or the like. Lamps of this character sometimes fail to start when thrown into connection with the electric-supply circuit, and it is one a lamp out of circuit in' case it fails to start within a reasonable time after being put in connection with the supply-circuit. Possible injury to the lamp and its appurtenances is thus prevented.

The novel features which characterize mv inventionI have endeavored to point out with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, will bev better understood by reference to the following de scription, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- F gure 1- represents my invention as applied to a constant-current circuit including a mercury-vaporlam piication of a different form of switch or con tact device.

The particular form of mercury vapor lamp which I haveshown in connection with a cut-out arrangement of'my invention is of that type known as the side-branch lamp,

in which the main arc is started by first starting a small auxiliary or branch are located in a shunt or side-branch circuit. tion is of course applicable .to other forms of vapor electric dev1ces than that which I have herein shown by way of illustration.

In Fig. 1 the lamp chosen as an exam le consists of a main tube 1, ofglass or ot er suitable material, provided with upper and lower electrodes 2 and 3, of graphite and mercury, respectively. A filament 4,'of carbon,

Fig. 2 is a modifica tlon showingthe app ication of my invention My invendepends from theelectrode 2 into proximity to the electrode 3 and is of assistance in starting the lamp. The mercury body 3 entirelyfills the two adjacent cups 5 and 6 and covers to a slight depth the bridge 7, separating these cups or pockets. A displacement-float 8, of or containing magnetic material, operates as a core for a solenoid 9,.surround1ng a tubular extension 10, communicating with and located laterally of the. main tube 1. When the solenoid 9 is energized, the float 8 is raised, and thereby lowers the level of the mercury, so as to lay bare the topof the brid e 7, and thus divide the mercury into two odies. ,Electricalconnections are made withthese bodies of mercury by means of leading-in conductors 11 and 12, connected to the outside circuits of the lamp.

The controlling devices'for the lamp are indicated at the top of Fig. 1. They include,

first, a starting resistance 13. 'When ourrent is first turned on to the lamp from the constant-current-supply circuit 14, this currenttr'averses the resistance, passes through the magnet 9, then through the body of mercury-3, and out to the return-main 15 of the circuit. This current, acting upon the solenoid 9, lifts the plunger or core 8, and thereby causes a separation of the mercury over the bridge ,7... The current thus flowing then "ves rise to an are between the separated odies of mercury, and under normal cond 1 tions this are operates to start up themain arc in the tube 1 between the electrodes 2 and 3 in a manner well understood in the art. If this main arc starts promptly, then the current by which it is supplied passing through the winding 16 of a cut-out magnet in series with. the electrodes 2 and 3 energizes this magnet, lifts the armature 17, and breaks the circuit ofthe current through the side branch, which includes the resistance 13, magnet 9, and the leading-in connectlon 12. This-break in the circuit takes place-at the contacts 18. V

In case the lam fails to start after a prodetermined period the resistance 13 rises in temperature to a point such that the heat given off therefrom by radiation or convection operates upon a thermostat to shortcircuit the lamp. This thermostat consists of. the usual heat-responsive member-19,01 juxtaposed strips of metal of different coellicients ofexpansion. In the normal position thisinember 19 by means of an adjustable stop 20 holds a switch-arm 21 in open-circuit position. This switch-arm carries a contact terminal. Thus it will be seen that if current flows 1n the side branch of the lamp for a certain predetermined length of time, which can only happen if the main-arc current in the lamp fails to start, and thus fails to energize the side-branch cut-out 1 6, then the resistance 13 by heating the thermostat 19 will release the switch-arm 21, and thus short-circuit the lamp by the contacts 22 and-23. The lamp then remains out of circuit until the thermostatic cut-out has by manual means been placed again in position to operate. This may be done by an attendant after the trouble with the lamp has been investigated.

Where the lamp to which my invention is to be applied is to be used on a constantpo tential, circuit, then it is evident that the thermostatic cut-out device cannot operate shown in Fig. 1.

to short-circuit the lamp, but must effect the desired result by other means. .Thus in Fig. 2 I have represented a thermostatic cut-out device with its switch arm at 24. This switch-arm is arranged so that when dropped it will separate the contacts 25 in the sidebranch circuit of the lamp 26. The usual magnetic cut-out for the side branch, which operates when the lamp starts normally, is lndicated at 27. The general features of arrangement of the lamp in Fig. 2 ismuch the same as in Fig. 1, so that no furtlier/desc1ip- ,tion of details seems necessary. t: will be lamps could not be cut out of circuit without entailing a considerable rise in current .value,

- I cause the thermostat tobe so arranged as to shunt the lamp by an equivalent resistance rather'than to short-circuit it, as in Fig. 1. Thus in Fig. 3 I have shown three lamps 28,29, and 30 in series with each other across the constant-potential-supply mains31 and 3 2. The thermostatic switch-arms of the respective lamps are indicated at 33, 34, and 35 and operate when in one position to close the circuit of the side branches and when in the other position to substitute for the side branch equivalent resistances 36, 37, and 38. Instead of using the switch-arm 33, which in passing from one contact, as 39, to the cocooperating with a fixed contact 23. One of these contacts s connected to one tere' minal of the lamp and the other to the other Inasmuch as one or more operating contact 40 causes abreak in the circuit, I may use a contact arrangement such as shown in Fig. 4. In this case the switch-arm 41, corresponding, for example, to the switch-arm in Fig. 3, carries two spring-mounted contacts 42 and 43. When the switch-arm is thrown from one position to the other, one of the spring-mounted contacts engages its cooperating fixed contact before the other spring-mounted contact leaves the other fixed contact. The resistance 44 is thus substituted for the sidebranch circuit 45 without interrupting the flow of current in the lamp-circuit.

It is evident that various modifications in the embodiments of my invention may be made without departing from the spirit thereof, for which reason I do not wish to be limited to the exact details shown and described;

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. The combination of a vapor electric device having a main circuit and an auxiliaryarc-starting circuit, a magnetic cut-out device energized by current in the main circuit, and a time-limit cut-out device responsive to current in the auXiliary-arc-starting circuit.

2. The combination of a vapor electric device, a circuit for producing a starting-are in said device, and means for automatically interrupting the starting-arc after an interval i'n case the device fails to start.

, 3. The-combination of a vapor electric de- "vi'ce, a starting-arc circuit, a main circuit, and cut-out devices one responsive to current in the main circuit and the other responsive to current in the startin -arc circuit.

4. The combination oi a vapor electric ap- 'paratus, a starting resistance therefor, and a thermostat responsive to heat generated in said resistance and operating upon failure of the apparatus to start to close a circuit about said apparatus. 1

5. The combination of a vapor electric apparatus, and a time-limit device for closing a circuit about said apparatus in the event of a failure of the apparatus to start within a predetermined time.

IOC

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6. The combination of a vapor electric device, an auxiliary-starting-arc circuit, means for cutting out the starting-circuit when the apparatus commences to operate, and automatic means for closing a circuit about said device in case it fails to start.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 11th day oi October, 1904.

TYOHO VAN ALLER- Witnesses:

EDwARn. WILLIAMS, J r., IIELEN ORroRD. 

